Grain-loading machine.



B'. F. KEPNER. GRAIN LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1906.

Patented 001;. 26,, 1909.

2 BHEETS-JIEEBT 1.

W W \M\ W W i AMEW. B. M an mwmnowmneiwmiqp. u c.

B. F. KEPNE R.

GRAIN LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB-.2. 1906.

937,814. Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fluozwboz ANMIEW. a. muum 00,. Pmrourmmwina. WADIINGTON. n. a

BENJAMIN FRANK KEPNER, 0F PECATONICA, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-LOADING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed April 2, 1906. Serial No. 309,389.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. KEPNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pecatonica, in the county of Winnebago and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGrain-Loading Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to grain loading machines, and has for an objectto provide a device of the class adapted for gathering up and elevatingthe several bundles ,or sheaves of a shock of grain and depositing thebundles in a wagon or other vehicle driven beside the loader.

A further object of the invention is to provide in connection with theloader of the class described, a reel having sheaf engaging fingersresiliently connected therewith, and whereby the several fingers areadapted to yield to excessive resistance to prevent breakage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a loader of theclass described embodyinga spiked cylinder at the lower forward edgeadapted to engage the butts of the sheaves and to lift them and todeposit them upon the conveyer of the loader.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a view of the improved loaderin side elevation. Fig. .2 is a top plan view of the loader. Fig. 3 is adetail front elevation of one of the fingers of the reel and itsassociated parts. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the fingers of thereel shown in connection with its associated parts, and the longitudinalrods of the. reel in section.

Like characters of reference designate I corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

In its preferred embodiment the improved loading machine, forming thesubject-matter of this application, comprises side pieces 10 and 11,parallel with each other and spaced apart to provide an interval for theaccommodation of the conveyor, as 12, therebetween. The side pieces 10and 11 are carried on a frame, as 13, erected upon an axle 14 to whichare secured the driving wheels'15 and 16, by the usual and ordinaryratchet connection. The side pieces 10 and 11 are disposed at aninclination the forward end being the lower, and under the forward endis disposed a bearing roller 17 positioned to travel upon the ground andwith caster wheels 18 and 19 secured in front of the forward end bymeans of brackets 20 and 21..

At the lower end a cylindrical roller 22 is disposed transverselybetween the side pieces 10 and 11, and provided with fingers or teeth 23extending rigidly. therefrom. About the cylindrical roller 22 theconveyer 12 is arranged to operate, a roller 24 being arranged at theupper end of the said side pieces 10 and 11 and extending transverselytherebetween to carry the conveyer at the end opposite the cylinder 22.The conveyer 12 may be constructed in any usual and approved manner, butpreferably of the sprocket chains 25 and 26 passing over the saidrollers 22 and 24 and connected by transverse slats or bars 27. It willbe noted that the side pieces 10 and 11 form an angle, as at 28, upontheir lower sides adjacent the forward end and to adjust the conveyer 12to conform to such angle, sprockets 29 and 30 are provided upon theinner surface of the side'pieces and in position to engage and bear uponthe sprocket chains 25 and 26.

At the upper end the side pieces 10 and 11 are provided withtransversely extending frame pieces 31 and 32, spaced apart toaccommodate the conveyer 33 of any approved form and construction,carried upon rollers 34 and 35 disposed transversely between the framepieces 31 and 32 at one end and between the frame piece 31 and bracket36 at the opposite end. The roller 35 is provided with a gear 37arranged to engage a gear 38 upon the shaft 39, forming the axis of theroller 24.

Upon the axle 14 is rigidly mounted a sprocket wheel 40 carrying asprocket chain 41, which passes about the sprocket wheel 42, journaledupon the frame 13, above the axle 14. The sprocket 42 is mounted upon ashaft 43, which carries a wheel 44 arranged to rotate a shaft 45. Theshaft 45 is provided with a sprocket wheel 46, over which passes asprocket chain 47 engaging at its opposite end a sprocket wheel 48,rigidly conveyer 12, a reel is provided, mounted.

upon a shaft 53, journ'al'ed in the extremities of arms 54, pivotallysecured to the side pieces 10 and 11, as at 55, and on the stud 56. Uponthe stud 56 is also mounted a sprocket 57, engaging and receiving motionfrom the chain 51 and rigidly "associated with the-sprocket 57 and overwhich passes a sprocket chain 58, engaging at its opposite end thesprocket 59, upon the shaft 53 of the reel. The reel may be raised orlowered by means of the bell crank lever 60 pivoted, as

at 61, to the side pieces 10 and provided with I alink 62, pivotallyconnected with the arms 54 and with the usual spring-pressed pawl63,engaging the segmental rack 64.

r The reel comprises the central "shaft 53,

from which extend radial arms '65, upon the extremities of which are journaled rods 66, extending parallel with the central shaft 53. Rigi'dlysecured to the shaft 66 "are a plura'li'ty of fingers 67, extendingnormally in alineinent with the arms and radial to the reel. The fingers67 are provided with arms or lugs 68, disposed at right angles to thefinger '67, and normally substantially at right angles to the arms 65,a'nd retained yieldingly in such position by means of springs 69, themovement in one direction being limited by a shoulder 70, carried by thearm 65.

While the reel may be carried simply upon the extremities of the arm 54,it is found.

'desirable for added strength to employ brackets 71, provided with slots72, disposed concentric with the studs 55 and 56, so that the shaft 53,which extends through the said slot 72,- may move therein upon an arcwith;-

thesaid studs 55 and 56 as the'center.

For moving the machine, as shown, draft may be applied in any approvedmanner, here shown as the tongues 'or poles 73 and, 74, secured in anyapproved manner as by} the struts and 76, and braces '77 and 7 8,j andto which are secured the usual whiflietrees 7 8 and 7 9.

so that the draft animals attached tothe poles 73 and 74 are uponopposite sides of the standing shock of grain, which is engaged at'thetop by the reel and at thebottom by the cylinder 22 to throw thecomponentbundles upon the conveyer 12. The bundles upon the conveyer 12are thereby conveyed to and dumped upon the transconveyed to and dumpedupon a vehicle driven beside the loader in convenient posltion. In casethe shock of grain is a large one, or the bundles thereof unusuallyheavy, the fingers 67 which engage the bundles will yield, and only aportion of the bundles will be thrown upon the conveyer at one time,thereby insuring a proper elevation of the bundles.

What I claim is V 1. In a machine of the class described, tractionwheels, a frame mounted upon the wheels, a conveyer mounted upon theframe, a spiked cylinder carried'by the frame in position for contactwith the ground to throw material upon the conveyer, and a reelpositioned to engage objects and throw them upon the conveyer.

2. A machine of the class described comprising tra'ction wheels, a framemounted upon the traction wheels, and in an inclined position, theforward end being the lower, a conveyer mounted upon the frame andarranged to convey material from the forward I and lower end to theupper and rearward end, a spiked cylinder adjacent the lower end andarranged for operative contact with the ground, and to raise and depositmaterial upon the conveyer, a reel mounted adjacent the forward end, andcomprising fingers disposed normally radial to the reel,

means connected with the fingers to permit "an angular movement thereof,means to adjust the reel vertically, and a second o'onveyer arranged atthe upper end of the frame, and positioned to receive material from thefirst-mentioned conveyer and to move it transversely relative thereto.

3. In a machine'of the class described, a wheeled vehicle comprisingside pieces and a bottom, the'said bottom being disposed in an inclinedpositionwith its forward end the lower and with a bend' adjacent theforward end, a conveyer mounted between the side pieces and above thebent bottom, means whereby the conveyer is operated from "the wheels.

4. In a machine ofthe class described, a wheeled vehicle embodying sidepieces, and

a bottom, the said bottom 'being'disposed at an inclination throughoutthe greater porversely moving conveyer 33, and thereby 1 forward end thelower and disposed adjacent the ground, and bent to provide a sectiondisposed substantially in a horizontal plane, rolls journaled adjacentthe opposite ends of the vehicle body, a conveyer mounted upon therolls, and Within the body, and transmission means connecting the Wheelsand rolls.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN FRANK KEPNER.

Witnesses:

J. A. PRovoosT, H. W. KNOWLTON.

